McArdle’s Helps the Junior League of Greenwich Prepare for The Enchanted Forest with a Wreath Making Workshop

George Von tobel of McArdle’s, a Greenwich resident of 55 years, led a wreath making workshop for members of the Junior League of Greenwich. The wreathes will be for sale at the upcoming Enchanted Forest from Nov 16-18 at Christ Church Greenwich. contributed photo

Members of the Junior League of Greenwich gathered recently at McArdle’s Florist and Garden Center for a wreath making workshop. All wreaths created at this workshop will be for sale at this year’s The Enchanted Forest, to be held at Christ Church Greenwich on Thursday, November 16 to Saturday, November 18.

Leading the workshop was George Von tobel of McArdle’s, a Greenwich resident of 55 years.

Mr. Von tobel began the workshop explaining to JLG members how much of an impact the Junior League has had on his life. George told workshop attendees that the Junior League’s impact on him began at an early age when he attended Pre-K at Hamilton Avenue School.

The Pre-Kindergarten Project is a former Junior League of Greenwich project that ran from 1966-1972 and was located at Hamilton Avenue School. The program served four-year-olds referred by the Housing Authority, Social Services Department, and other town organizations. It provided the educational and creative stimulation that many children lacked at home. The Board of Education took over this highly successful program in 1972.

George Von tobel of McArdle’s, a Greenwich resident of 55 years, led a wreath making workshop for members of the Junior League of Greenwich. The wreathes will be for sale at the upcoming Enchanted Forest. contributed photo

George’s love for working with flowers bloomed with his involvement in the Festival of Trees (now The Enchanted Forest) when it was held at St. Catherine of Siena Church.

His family donated a tree every year as did several flower shops he worked with. Mr. Von tobel later decorated the tents for the Cotillion from his store “Flowers by George” for many years. George recalled how exciting it was to see one of his Pre-Kindergarten teachers, Junior League Member Barbara King, at Cotillion.

Wreaths made during the workshop at McArdle’s Florist and Garden Center will be available for purchase at The Enchanted Forest from Thursday, November 16th to Saturday, November 18th at Christ Church Greenwich.

The event is moving “Home for the Holidays” across from JLG Headquarters, and all of the traditional activities the town has come to cherish including gingerbread workshops, photos with Santa, Santa’s breakfast, a Polar Express-themed lunch, and more children’s entertainment are moving as well. The Enchanted Forest draws thousands of visitors each year from Greenwich and the surrounding communities. A variety of festive events are scheduled to take place during the three-day celebration. Other features and highlights occurring throughout the weekend include The Children’s Giving Shop, music performances, food trucks, and much more!

Funds raised from The Enchanted Forest go directly toward supporting impactful community projects identified, designed, and implemented by the Junior League of Greenwich. General admission tickets to The Enchanted Forest on Friday and Saturday start at $10 per person.

The Junior League of Greenwich has been bettering the community for nearly 60 years. It is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained individuals. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. The JLG is committed to inclusive environments of diverse individuals and reaches out to women of all races, religions, and national origins who demonstrate an interest in and commitment to voluntarism. For more information, please contact the Junior League of Greenwich jlg@jlgreenwich.org and visit our website at www.jlgreenwich.org.

In addition to awards for students at all the elementary, middle schools and GHS students – one in each of the five houses – the Fleishman Award for Community Service, which WMS principal called "The Ernie," went to René Lapointe Jameson.

This article was written by Michelle Xiong and Emma Burstiner for The Beak at Greenwich High School, and was published on Friday, March 16, 2018
On March 14, one month since the tragic Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in which 17 students were killed, schools across the nation rallied together and walked out of their classes at 10:00AM for 17 minutes. As Dr. Winters established in his email to the students, parents, and faculty, the message for the walk-out was that “we must do more to stop school shootings.”
The GHS Young Democrats were eager for the walk out.